Jacob's longings and love for Alice ebbed away while he was waiting for her return for four years. Back
then, he was of the belief he would be in love with Alice for the rest of his life. He couldn't envision a
future without her.
When people were young, they were often naïve. They mistook their first love to be everlasting.
But life had other plans. When unexpected situations were presented, people moved on. After all, four
years was a long time. His new life bore resemblance to his old life. And as a consequence, his
feelings had changed.
He couldn't quite describe how he had moved on. It happened without him knowing.
Jacob was deep in thought. His gaze went to Alice. At that moment, memories came back to him
unbidden and unwanted. He had thought he had forgotten everything. But it turned out he had a vivid
memory of the past.
He wondered whether storing these memories was of any use. 'Perhaps, it will help me make better
decisions in the future, ' he reasoned.
He recollected when he had parted with Alice. He had taken an oath to stay away from her. Even then,
he knew this relationship was beyond repair.
If they broke up, he had wanted to break up for good. He planned on never looking back. In spite of his
wise decision, his heart still ached.
Some situations compelled people to make a ruthless decision. As his resolve wavered, Jacob's heart
began to plead to keep her.
Back then, he clung to love. With her departure, he thought he would lose his ability to love. After all,
what was life without love? It was nothing! He would be akin to a walking corpse.
"I'm fine," Alice said, snapping him back from his reverie. Tears were trickling down her cheeks. Jacob
watched her in horror.
Watching her upset made him upset too. He couldn't believe he still cared about Alice. But he told
himself there was nothing wrong with it. Her vulnerability could make anyone sympathetic towards her.
He gazed at her, feeling a little nervous.
"Are you in pain?" he asked, mustering up some courage.
The doctor regarded the two of them. Clearing his throat, he said, "Hello, mister. Is this how you treat
your wife? You have done an awful job taking care of her. Pregnant women require lots of care. She is
carrying your child! Does that mean nothing to you?"
Listening to the doctor's words, tears rolled down her cheeks. Jacob cast her nervous glances, not
knowing what to say.
If it were someone else, he wouldn't have been so nervous. But Alice wasn't just someone. She was
the woman he had loved for 7 years.
Even though he didn't love her anymore, he couldn't see her sad. After all, he still remembered those
years he had loved her.
All in all, this was a rather uncomfortable situation. A feeling of helplessness began to creep up on him.
He kept glancing at the woman he had once wished to spend the rest of his life with. He had been so
resolute in his decision to marry her.
But 7 years later, Jacob had no romantic feelings for her. And Alice wasn't willing to accept this. Jacob
was caught up in a real dilemma.
Love wasn't something he could conjure up in his heart. It took time to fall for someone. The concept of
life was similar to a philosophical theory. A quantitative change would lead to qualitative change.
Several changes had occurred in his life. His vision too had changed with time.
An eerie silence had overtaken everyone in the ambulance. Jacob was a man who took Alice's
emotions and health into consideration.
The doctor made a mistake calling him her husband. However, he thought it was best to not correct
him. Alice already looked so forlorn. If he made this correction now, she would be left feeling even
sadder.
Jacob had breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the hospital.
Alice was quickly sent to the emergency room. He stood by the door, gazing after her. He had assumed
Alice would opt for adoption. This, however, was a shock for him.
Jacob sensed an irony in this.
He slouched on the chair outside the emergency room, feeling physically and emotionally exhausted.
Try as he might, he couldn't become cruel to Alice. But he wouldn't mistake this concern for love. He
knew he didn't love her.
He cared about her and didn't wish her ill. He couldn't leave her alone in this condition. He knew she
wished to start all over again but that wasn't possible.
The next day, Alice woke up.
In the middle of the night, the doctor came out of the ward.
Jacob was tired but sleep eluded him. He was sitting on a chair, his eyes glued to the street lamps in
the distance. Since it was late, the corridor was pretty dark.
The sound of the door opening snapped him from his reverie. He stood up immediately. He was eager
to know the result. Yet at the same time, nervousness clutched him.
"Are you a relative of the patient?" the doctor asked, standing before him.
Jacob would have shaken hands with that man. However, the doctor's stiff body language detained him
from doing so.
"I am a friend of hers actually. Doctor, so tell me, how is she doing?" Jacob asked worriedly.
"When she fell down, she may have bumped into something hard. As a consequence, the baby is no
more." The doctor was solemn. He didn't rebuke Jacob anymore. But from the cold manner he spoke,
one could tell he had a very low opinion of him.
In his profession, he had come across so many irresponsible men. As a result, he was wary of such
men.
"What about her? Is she okay?" Jacob asked, his features twisted with a frown.
"She's fine, but considering everything she has gone through, she will be in distress. Go in to see her!
And regardless of who you are to her, take care of her."
The doctor patted him lightly on the shoulder.
"Okay," Jacob said, nodding his head. He had a lot to think about. By the time he had collected his
thoughts, the doctor was long gone.
He pushed the door of Alice's ward and sat on the chair nearby. Overcome by fatigue, he fell asleep.
In the morning, he woke up from his slumber. He was still sleepy but willed himself to get up. Squinting
through his bleary eyes, he made sense of his surroundings.
The morning sun flooded the room with a gentle light. Jacob's eyes fell on Alice, who was lying on the
bed, looking extremely week.
Just the mere sight of her made him scared. He realized he had stayed with her all night.
The truth was, Alice was simply pretending to be asleep. She had woken up a while ago.
Jacob noticed her hands were out of the quilt. He reached out to cover it properly. While his hand
touched hers, her eyes opened.
They gazed at each other. Her eyes glistened with tears. Seeing her cry, Jacob opened his mouth,
wanting to say something. However, in the end, he chose to remain silent.
"Is the baby dead?" Alice asked. She felt a slight pain in her belly, but it was tolerable.
"Yes," Jacob replied, not meeting her eyes.
Alice's face turned grave. She looked at him like he was a devil. She recoiled from him, her body
quivering.
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